Babauta makes noise in Oceania Championship

Ryan Babauta quietly left the CNMI to compete in the 2015 Oceania Wrestling Championship in Majuro, Marshall Islands last month where he made some noise by bagging six medals, two of which were gold.

Ryan Babauta hopes to use his stint in last month’s Oceania Wrestling Championship as a springboard when he tries out for a wrestling team in a university in the state of Washington. (Contributed Photo)

Babauta, representing the CNMI in an international tournament for the first time, also won silver and three bronze medals in the Greco-Roman, freestyle, and beach wrestling events in the Oceania championship.

The OWC is a qualifying tournament for the Junior World Championship in Brazil in August and Senior World Championship in Las Vegas in September this year.

Babauta won a gold and bronze in high school wrestling, gold in Greco Roman (Juniors 98 kilogram), and bronze (Seniors 96kgs) in Greco-Roman, silver in junior freestyle, and bronze in beach wrestling (85kgs).

The 17-year-old, who is from San Roque on Saipan, is a senior at John F. Kennedy High School in Guam and will be graduating this June. He said that he plans to take up a course in physical fitness and health in any university in the state of Washington.

“I hope to also try out for the wrestling team to be able to represent the CNMI in any way that I can,” said Babauta, who is being coached by his uncle ,Department of Public Safety acting public information officer Jason Tarkong.

Babauta said that Tarkong motivated him to compete in the Oceania Championship to gain experience in an international tournament.

He added that after graduation he plans to join several international tournaments and Olympic qualifying events in August and September.

Babauta said learning beach wrestling in high school helped him develop his skills in Freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling styles.

“Beach wrestling helps practice balance and form because unlike a mat, the sand is not stable so perfect form and placement of the body is important. It is like Freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling but you only need 3 points to win,” said Babauta.

Pushing your opponent out of the circle gives you one point, while pinning your opponent earns you two points are the ways to score in beach wrestling.

It was the Marshal Islands’ first time to host an Oceania Championship in any sport and a total of 100 delegates from 16 Pacific Island nations—American Samoa, Australia, the CNMI, Federated States of Micronesia, French Polynesia (Tahiti), Guam, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, and Tuvalu—joined the OWC.